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Art and Religious Beliefs of Kangju: Evidence from an Anthropomorphic Image Found in the Ugam Valley (Southern Kazakhstan)

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Art and Religious Beliefs of Kangju: Evidence from an Anthropomorphic Image Found in the Ugam Valley (Southern Kazakhstan) ART AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF KANGJU: EVIDENCE FROM AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC IMAGE FOUND IN THE UGAM VALLEY (SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN) Aleksandr Podushkin South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical Institute Shymkent, Kazakhstan his article analyzes a unique anthropomorphic health, abundance, protection from evil forces, etc. Its T image on a ceramic vessel used as a container for iconographic sources are related to the representative liquids, which was found at the 1st–4th-century CE art and religious beliefs of the ancient ethnic groups site of Ushbastobe in the valley of the Ugam River, of Eurasia of the late Iron Age but also have features Southern Kazakhstan. A multi-disciplinary approach VSHFLÀFWRWKHVHGHQWDU\DJULFXOWXUDOSRSXODWLRQRIWKH explores various semantic interpretations of the local mountain region. On the ethno-cultural level, as image, the key one of which is that it represents farn- farn-xwarnah, this image is connected with the Kangju xwarnah (Xvarᑃnah), a domestic deity connected with state and as well with the circle of Iranian language kinship and clan and associated with good fortune, tribes of the Scytho-Sako-Sarmatian world, where this cult was widespread in antiquity. The micro-region and the site of Ushbastobe The Ugam region, located in the far southeastern part of South Kazakhstan oblast’, includes middle and high mountain relief of the Karzhantau and Ugam Ranges (up to 2000 and 3195 m in altitude respectively) and the middle reaches of the Ugam River valley, where ORHVV WHUUDFHV DERYH WKH ÁRRG SODLQ DQG D OHYHO landscape cover a territory of more than 50 km2 [Fig. 1]. Bordering this area on the north and south are the canyons of the Ugam River, which thus contribute to its self-contained nature [Fig. 2:1,2]. Administratively, the Ugam area is on the territory of the Kazygurt district in South Kazakhstan oblast’, where the Sairam- Ugam national nature reserve is located. The uniqueness and variety of the ecology in the Ugam valley—the availability of practically unlimited water resources both of the Ugam River and numerous mountain streams and springs, the presence of productive loess terraces, and the self- contained micro-region’s stable mountain climate— favored the exploitation of this territory by humans beginning in deep antiquity. Archaeological evidence of human settlement in different eras includes that from the Kangju state of the 1st–4th centuries. Fig. 1. Satellite image showing the South Kazakhstan oblast’ and the location of Ushbastobe. 58 Copyright © 2016 Aleksandr Podushkin The Silk Road 14 (2016): 58–70 Copyright © 2016 The Silkroad Foundation Fig. 2. Landscapes of the Ugam River Valley: 1) 9LHZIURP.\U\NN\]3DVV 7KH8JDP5LYHULQ the northeastern part of the valley. The site of Ushbastobe is located 55 km southeast of the city of Shymkent on the left terrace at an DOWLWXGHRIPDERYHWKHÁRRG plain of the Ugam River, with GPS coordinates of 41º41’55.04” N, 70º02’03.95” E. It is a tripartite settlement with a developed system RIIRUWLÀFDWLRQLQZKLFKWKHGHFLVLYH role is played by the natural factors of the site’s location (the steepness of the slopes) (Podushkin 2000, pp. 28-31). The citadel of Ushbastobe (whose name translates from Kazakh as “three-headed mound”) occupies three levels on a hill of irregular rectangular shape. The main (central) hill (No. 2) at the base measures 20 x 45 x 22 x 45 m; the upper platform (No. 1), 15 x 30 x 30 x 15 m; the lower platform (No. 3) at its base, 25 x 20 x 15 x 20 m, DQGORFDWHGPDERYHWKHÁRRG plain. The site is almost perfectly oriented along a NE to SW axis. It has powerful natural defenses, since there are precipitous slopes on all sides and only from the southeast is connected by a narrow neck with WKH WHUUDFH RI WKH ÁRRG SODLQ >)LJ 3:1,2]. The results of excavations at Ushbastobe In 2015, the expedition of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan carried out studies on the upper Platform No.1 of the citadel of Ushbastobe, the excavation of more than 20 m2 RQWKHOHYHORIWKHÀUVWFRQVWUXFWLRQ horizon uncovering a mass of ceramic material and other artefacts (tools, decorations, ritual objects of stone, bone and metal) dated to Fig. 3:1. The Ushbastobe citadel, exterior view from the northeast. Fig. 3:2 Topographic map of the site. 59 the Kangju period (1st-4th centuries CE) [Fig. 4:1,2]. There were shards of more than 60 vessels for various domestic and ritual purposes, among them large and medium-sized cooking pots, kettles and mugs, large and small khum vessels (capacious jars for storing and carrying water), and table ware including large jars and vases and several kinds of cups. Other ceramic wares included frypans, spindle whorls, stands for dishes, scoops and more—all told more than 1000 ceramic artifacts. Some of the cooking kettles are footed, others KDYH ÁDW ERWWRPV WKHUH DUH ÁDWERWWRPHG cylindrical jars with two horizontal petal-like handles on the shoulder of the vessel [Fig. 5:1-4]. These vessels are for the most part un- decorated, but some are coated with a dark brown glaze and have applied cone-shaped projections on the shoulders or arc-shaped “moustache-like” plain and striated tubes imitating either a vine or a snake. Analogous Fig. 4:1. Ushabastobe, northern part of 2014 excavation. )LJ FRQWLQXDWLRQ RQ QH[W SDJH 8VKEDVWREH FHUDPLFV FRRNLQJ )LJ([FDYDWLRQRIYLHZIURPZHVW SRWV GRPHVWLFZDUH WDEOHZDUH VFRRS PLQLDWXUH YHVVHOV VSLQGOHZKRUO ULWXDOVWDQGIRUDYHVVHO 60 tubes forming a spiral composition of “moustache- vertical notches (incisions) drawn on the raw clay like” elements are to be found where the the petal- [Fig. 5:8-13]. The ritual ceramics consist of miniature like handles are attached and also between them. The cup-like footed vessels and stands [Fig. 5:15-16,18]. small khum vessels and jars are all pear-shaped, with weakly articulated necks, hand-thrown or formed on In addition to the ceramics, the excavation uncovered a slowly turning stand. These and the other ceramics tools and ornaments, including sickles with a bone for domestic use may be decorated with a light brown handle and iron blade [Fig. 6:1,2]; stone grinders [Fig. or gray glaze used to depict so-called oval “eyes” 6:3,4]; a cosmetic implement (sur’matash) for applying with a dark border or masks, with a band of dark slip around the mouth, or with protruding appliqués [Fig. 5:5-7, 14—a scoop, 17—a spindle-whorl]. The tableware (jars, pots and cups) is both wheel-turned and thrown by hand, made of quality clay and high ÀUHG'HFRUDWLYHHIIHFWVLQFOXGHFRDWLQJZLWKEODFN reddish-brown, and purplish slips of various shades; designs in red glaze on the neck and body along the outside of the vessel; concentric wide lines on the nouth; scrolls, which create a focused composition; glaze spots; polishing in the slip; projecting conical appliqués on the shoulder; and concentric lines with )LJ8VKEDVWREHWRROVREMHFWVDQGGHFRUDWLRQVIURPVWRQHERQHDQGLURQ ERQHKDQGOHIURPDVLFNOH WLSRIDQLURQVLFNOH IUDJPHQWVRIVWRQH JULQGHUV ERQHFRVPHWLFLPSOHPHQW sur’matash LURQQHHGOH DV- WUDJDOLJDPHSLHFHV SHQGDQWRIPRXQWDLQFU\VWDOPRXQWHGLQVLOYHU 61 )LJ 3DUW RI WKH H[FDYDWLRQ DW 8VKEDVWREH LQ VKRZLQJWKHIUDJPHQWVRIWKHYHVVHOZLWK the anthropomorphic image. mascara [Fig. 6:5]; an iron needle [Fig. 6:6]; bone game pieces of sheep knuckle-bones (astragali) [Fig. 6:7]; and a bangle made of mountain crystal mounted in silver [Fig. 6:8]. The vessel with the anthropo- morphic image The vessel with the anthropomorph- ic image was found in these same strata. It had been shattered in antiquity into many pieces and scattered over a large area of the ancient surface among the debris of a large mass of other dishes. Hence, the image—drawn The image on the wall of the vessel in the central, widest part of its The human-like image was inscribed on the side of the body—has been preserved on more than ten large and vessel by drawing on the wet clay using a relatively medium-sized ceramic fragments [Fig. 7]. Probably sharp object with a smooth, rounded tip (a bone stylus tableware or a water jar, the vessel is quite massive or polished wooden stick). The lines are 0.45 to 0.3 cm and could have held a considerable amount of liquid wide, sharply delineated; they cut into the surface of (more than 10 liters). It measures 46.2 cm high, 32 cm. the jar to a depth of up to 0.15 cm, which means that maximum diameter of the body, 11.7 cm diameter WKHLPDJHDQGHYHQÀQHGHWDLOVDUHHDVLO\YLVLEOH>)LJ of the mouth, with a neck 9.5 cm high, and diameter 8:2]. of the base 23.3 cm. The vessel is pear-shaped, with a short neck; it has a petal-shaped vertical handle, The measurements of the image are impressive: its whose upper end was attached to the neck just below height (from the crown of the “hair” in the shape of an the mouth and the lower to the shoulder [Fig. 8:1]. The upper “ribbon” to the lower tip of the ”leg”) is 21.5 cm; vessel was formed on a slowly revolving stand (on WKHPD[LPXPZLGWK IURPWKHWLSVRIWKH´ÀQJHUVµRI the bottom can be seen concentric furrows inscribed the left hand to the outer right extremity of the torso) ZLWKWKHÀQJHU 7KHERG\LVDVDQG\WH[WXUHGKLJK is 14.8 cm. TXDOLW\FOD\DOPRVWIUHHRILQFOXVLRQVDQGKDUGÀUHG 7KHLPDJHLVWKDWRIDVWDQGLQJKXPDQÀJXUHZLWK It is somewhat misshapen, slightly asymmetrical. On the contours of the main parts of the body clearly the upper part of the handle there appears to have articulated: the head, the shoulders of the torso, been a zoomorphic appliqué which was broken off in hands, waist and lower part of the body with with antiquity. The entire surface of the vessel was coated an indication of a “leg”. The head (and “leg”) are with a yellowish- light brown slip and also glazed VKRZQLQSURÀOHWRWKHOHIWDQGWKHUHVWRIWKHERG\ spots (“eyes”) of a darker brown color.
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